Ren'Py Heavy Five [Ch.2RS] [Nottravis]

[Nottravis]

I think it is not necessary to pause Patreon just because you can't deliver a chapter each and every month. As long as you keep a steady output of good work, and your Calendar looks very much like you plan to do just that, everything is fine. Most devs only make significant content updates to their games maybe 2 times a year. It's perfectly fine in my book if you give yourself a "paid vacation" two times a year. (Based on the Dates and the preplanned nature, I am assuming August and December are your Vacation Months)

Thanks

You make, as always, a very reasoned point jdoch.

But I'm conscious that people work hard for their money. If I was working on something in the background during August and December (GUI improvements or something) then I'd concur with you and feel OK for taking the cash without patrons having anything to see for it that month. But I know that, (and yep, those will be months I'll be taking vacation or know I'll be too busy) other than maybe some "arsing around" images or perhaps some Christmas fun, I'm more than likely not going to be doing anything on the games. So...it just doesn't feel right to me for taking the cash.

It was why I refunded my guys all their cash for the months I was off ill. They got nothing, I did nothing so why should I keep anything? It just seemed fair to me.

I know, I know...it's not a terribly common viewpoint - a lot of my patrons have had the same discussion with me when I started issuing the refunds - but it's a viewpoint I'm happy with. I can look you all in the eye and know I've done my best to give my sponsors value for money. It'll always be subjective of course of whether people like the output, and that's fine. That's a different issue. But I know I'll never feel any shame.

Y'see H5, or indeed any of my planned games, are never I suspect going to be terribly popular. They are more games with adult themes than perhaps true "blue" games if we compare to others (although there are some jolly corking sex scenes coming up...). They'll have a tendency to be too dramatic or too whimsical (an odd mix I know) so this is about not only trying to bring enjoyment to people but enjoying the whole process myself. I can't enjoy myself if I think I'm ripping people off (even if I'm actually not).

Frankly, if i look at the rate at which most Patreon funded games progress, most devs give themselves 3 and a half weeks of paid vacation each and every month

Does it make me a bad person if I confess I laughed out loud at this?

 

[johnconnor]

Note that the above makes allowance for most things including optimism bias, contracting the plague, being elected to Parliament but makes no allowance for space hamster abduction which is beyond my means to plan for. Just saying!

Notty for PM! *cheers*

 

[johnconnor]

Oh! Final, final thing. Any volunteer to playtest playing games with Sarah? Since I have a tad of time I've been double checking things and I wouldn't mind a view on whether it works or not. I think it does...but...

Happy to help if you need playtest feedback.

 

[Goblin Baily: DILF]

Apropos of nothing may I just say that it's an utter delight to have our favorite Sci-fi Smutress back!

do you know any other Sci-fi Smutress ?

 

[Nottravis]

Happy to help if you need playtest feedback.

That's really kind of you to offer but I have three testers in place which is probs enough to check to see if it works. (after all it may not, my score on mini games so far is designed two, scrapped two!).

 

[Goblin Baily: DILF]

That's really kind of you to offer but I have three testers in place which is probs enough to check to see if it works. (after all it may not, my score on mini games so far is designed two, scrapped two!).

you know? I'm good at minigames...

 

[Nottravis]

you know? I'm good at minigames...

The tricky thing with them I find is to not make them a waste of time.

So for example in Chapter One, when the MC goes outside there was a small wiring mini-game. Connect the wires in the right order sort of thing. Blah blah. It looked good and played smoothly...but it had no point y'know?

If you failed, well you just reloaded and tried again. Where was the fun?

Hopefully this one is different as, regardless, it's not about the successful completion in order to progress.

 

[Goblin Baily: DILF]

So for example in Chapter One, when the MC goes outside there was a small wiring mini-game. Connect the wires in the right order sort of thing. Blah blah. It looked good and played smoothly...but it had no point y'know?

If you failed, well you just reloaded and tried again. Where was the fun?

ok... the day has come.... after 5 months I can finally say it.... you messed up a bit. that was a great idea.

 

[Nottravis]

ok... the day has come.... after 5 months I can finally say it.... you messed up a bit. that was a great idea.

I dunno, I found it dull!

I had something on the same basis in chapter two too in the plant room, but I don't like it where I have to do X to progress. I'd much rather let the player be able to move on regardless (now if they want to reload and see what happens that's a different matter of course)

 

[Goblin Baily: DILF]

I dunno, I found it dull!

I had something on the same basis in chapter two too in the plant room, but I don't like it where I have to do X to progress. I'd much rather let the player be able to move on regardless (now if they want to reload and see what happens that's a different matter of course)

it worked in Mass Effect 2

 

[Nottravis]

 

[Huitieme]

it worked in Mass Effect 2

In all honesty, it didn't "work" as much as it was just there. Mass Effect is my favorite game saga (original much ?), but it sure wasn't for their mini games ^^

 

[TheDevian]

it worked in Mass Effect 2

I hate to say it, but I have to disagree, that was the straw that broke the camel's back for me on that game, lol. The dialogue wheel was bad enough, but the lock picking minigame was not worth my time.

 

[Nottravis]

It's obviously down to preference, but I just get frustrated if I'm enjoying a game and then hit a road block because I have to have the skillz to do a particular thing that the dev wants me to do (which may or may not be well designed).

I'd much rather have the ability to progress regardless of the outcome - that way no one is held up y'know.

So, if you win or lose playing Sarah ...it should still be fun and won't bring the game to a halt. But we'll see what the testers think once I've finished tweaking it a bit more.

 

[TheDevian]

View attachment 312019

You are killing me with these super sexy blondes...

 

[Nottravis]

You are killing me with these super sexy blondes...

Thankees

You do realise that there are some gals you ain't seen yet...*wiggles eyebrows*

 

[Nottravis]

You are killing me with these super sexy blondes...

*looks around to ensure no one else is listening*

Spoiler: *winks*

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[TheDevian]

*looks around to ensure no one else is listening*

Spoiler: *winks*

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Look at her, being coy, hiding behind that shield like that.

 

[Huitieme]

*looks around to ensure no one else is listening*

Spoiler: *winks*

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Helloooooo barbarian nurse !

 

[jdoch]

Minigames can theoretically be a good Idea IF they enhance the Immersion of a game. Sadly most of the time they are just there to mask a lack of actual content.
And workflow-wise it's just a simple question: In the time it takes me to program the minigame, could I be doing something else (eg. create another scene) and would that be more worthwhile? If yes, then no minigame.
So in essence: Having a Minigame in a game should be the exception, not the rule.